ptg16476052688 LESSON 25: Search Engines and SEO
What Is SEO?
SEO, or search engine optimization, is a marketing technique that focuses on getting traf-
fic from organic (nonpaid) search results in sites like Bing, Google, and Yahoo!. You can
do many things to help search engines better index your site and give them hints about
how your site should be referenced and linked to. Some people consider SEO an art form,
as there are no clear and fast rules. But there are some guidelines you can follow to help
improve your search rankings.
The first thing you should bear in mind is that there are no guarantees. Every search
engine has a different algorithm for ranking sites, finding new links, and removing pages
from their index. And some change those algorithms constantly. I have run sites that con-
sistently ranked (and some still rank) in the top five on Google, often in the number one
slot. But those positions change daily. The best I hope for when working on SEO is that
my sites are clear and easy to use for my existing customers. If my sites work well for
people, they will work well for search engines.Why You Need SEO
The fact is that if your site survives on pageviews then you need to think about SEO.
The vast majority of web traffic comes from the major search engines: Google, Bing, and
Yahoo!. If your site doesn’t show up in those search engines, chances are no one will
find it.
But it’s more than just people finding your site; it’s the quality of the people finding
your site. If your pages are well optimized for search, they will bring people who are
looking for what your site is offering. Someone who is looking to buy a tractor is not
going to want to end up on my site, html5in24hours.com, but if they want information
about HTML and web design, they would be happy to end up there. And the best search
engines strive to direct people to what they are looking for rather than just link them at
random.What About Social Media?
One thing that is very popular right now is social media—sites like Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram. These sites are an important part of a complete website marketing strat-
egy, but they don’t drive a lot of traffic. In fact, most companies that use Facebook find
the most success in building their brand rather than driving pageviews to their website.
This is because the goal of sites like Facebook and Twitter is different from search
engines. Facebook and Twitter want people to stay on Facebook and Twitter. They make
money as long as the ads they are displaying get seen by people. They don’t make money
if someone leaves to go to your website.